Sergio Perez’s camp have reportedly set their sights on a return to the F1 grid with Cadillac, the incoming American team billed as a “great option” for the former Red Bull driver.

For the first time in 15 years, Perez will not feature in the Formula 1 championship having parted ways with Red Bull in the aftermath of a disappointing F1 2024 season.

Could Sergio Perez return to F1 with Cadillac?

Despite a strong start to the campaign where he put his RB20 up on the podium four times in five races, Perez’s form went into a downward spiral from which he could not recover.

Scoring 85 points in the first five races, he managed just 67 in the 19 after his third-placed result in China with only nine coming in the final eight Grand Prix weekends.

With just 152 on the board, Perez dropped from second the previous season to P8 in what turned out to be his fourth and final year with Red Bull. His results meant the team fell to third in the Constructors’ standings even though Max Verstappen won the title with 437 points.

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Speaking for the first time after his Red Bull exit, Perez said: “Everything happened very quickly at the end of last season. I didn’t expect to leave the team.

“In the next six months, I will make a decision on what I want for the next step in my career.”

To date he’s been linked to a move to Formula E, IndyCar and more recently the Le Mans 24 Hours in the GT category.

However, returning to the Formula 1 grid in 2026 is the ultimate goal, and he could turn to incoming team Cadillac to make it happen.

‘His big goal,’ reports Marca, ‘is to be able to be back in F1, with Cadillac as a great option’.

Perez to Cadillac would be a huge financial boost for the team as the Spanish publication claims Perez would return with ‘Carlos Slim and the rest of the sponsorships he had had until last year at Red Bull Racing.

‘It would be a good injection for the Andretti team and a value on and off the track, as the Mexican, who won his first race in 2020, with a Racing Point in Bahrain is one of the few drivers who can say that he contributes to filling four circuits, such as Mexico, Austin, Miami and Las Vegas.’

According to former Haas team boss Guenther Steiner, Perez could be a very good candidate for the fledgling Formula 1 team, better than putting an “old rookie” in the car.

“If you’re Cadillac, you need somebody experienced,” Steiner said to GPblog. “Checo has been in quite a few teams for a long time. He knows his way around. He could be a big help.”

“Maybe put him (Perez) on a one-year contract, it’s a lot better than having old rookies in there,” the Italian said of Cadillac’s plans to bring an American driver into F1. “That’s an opportunity for Checo.

“And by then, a year of digesting the beating from Max, he recovers from the Dutch beating, so it could bring him to a better place again. I would say he could have value for Cadillac.”

He added: “Checo was very good when he was at Force India Racing, whatever it was called, Racing Point. He always overdelivered as an underdog. He couldn’t keep up with the pressure of the top team.

“So maybe it’s his comfort zone where he has not got that pressure to need to show that he’s good by winning, by showing that I can make a point, maybe that maybe puts him in a better place.”

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